Part 3: The Gospel Come To Life Lesson 36: The Last Supper Session Snapshot Narrative Passage: Luke 22:7-23 Gospel Focus: 1 John 2:1-2 Student Takeaways: • That students will understand that Jesus added new meaning to the Passover feast, using the wine and bread to symbolize the great price He would soon pay on the cross. • That students will see that Jesus’ death on the cross was the sacrifice that atoned for the sins of the world. • That students will consider what it means to them that Jesus is their advocate before God the Father, personally taking away the punishment for their sins. Overview This week you’re at a crucial point in your big-picture story of the Bible. When Jesus sat down with his 12 clos- est disciples to celebrate Passover, everyone in the room was keenly aware of the meaning of this meal. This was a special time to celebration and reflection on how God had rescued His people from oppression and slav- ery. Each component of the meal held significance. They probably did not expect Christ to reference Himself in the meal. At the last supper Jesus has with His 12 closest friends, He points back to the blood and body He has already spoken of at least once before to them. Jesus is about to shed His blood and be nailed to a cross for the sake of sinful humankind. As with so many of the rest of our times together in this curriculum, we have the blessing of looking back on exactly what Christ meant, while these 12 men grappled to truly understand the power of the moment. In this lesson, your students will understand the new meaning Jesus added to the Passover, and what it means to have Jesus as their advocate before God. Teacher Prep Video Each Thread lesson comes with a Teacher Prep Video. These are short videos designed to help you grasp the main point of the lesson as you prepare to teach. To access your Thread lesson 36 Teacher Prep Video, login to your Lesson Manager, navigate to lesson 36, and click on the “Background” tab. You’ll notice the Teacher Prep Video near the top of the Lesson Manager window. Bible Background The Bible Background is designed to help you provide the basic context for the passages you’ll be studying. • What do we mean by “context”? In every ym360 Bible study lesson we encourage teachers to help students know who wrote a particular book, when it was written, and why it was written. • Why teach context? Grasping the big-picture view of God’s story of redemption is difficult for teen- agers without understanding the context of the books and passages they’re studying. Luke Week 36: Lesson Plan ©2015 youthministry360 Part 3: The Gospel Come To Life Lesson 36: The Last Supper Author: Luke was a doctor, a Gentile Christian and a companion of Paul. Time frame: The Gospel of Luke was written around 60 AD. Purpose: Luke is the only Gentile author of the Bible. His entire purpose was to write an accurate account of the life of Jesus so as to present Jesus as Savior, fully God and fully man. It is one of the synoptic Gos- pels, having much in common with the Gospels of Matthew and Mark. 1 John Author: 1 John was written by John the Apostle. John was one of Jesus’ disciples and was referred to as “the beloved disciple.” John was probably only a teenager when he spent his three years with Jesus. In addition to 1 John, he authored 2 John, 3 John, the Gospel of John, and Revelation. Time frame: 1 John was probably written sometime after the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD, but probably no later than 90 AD. Purpose: John was writing to a population (1st Century Christ-followers) who had seen their ranks diminished at the onset of Roman persecution. John was calling his audience to a faith that was doctrinally sound and application oriented. He reminded his readers of the teachings of Christ, and urged them to put them into practice. Lesson Plan The Lesson Plan contains four elements: • An introductory activity called Getting Started designed to prepare teenagers to engage with God and the truth of His Word. • A section entitled The Story featuring a narrative from Scripture that helps teenagers know God bet- ter through learning the story of the Bible. • A special emphasis entitled The Thread where teenagers discover the Gospel thread coursing throughout the story of the Bible. • An application-focused segment called Wrapping Up helping teenagers ask the question, “How am I impacted by what I learned today”? Getting Started • Goal: To help students understand that at the last supper, Jesus had set the picture for what He was going to do in dying on the cross and atoning for our sin once and for all. • Set-Up: Do a YouTube search for a video depicting the Last Supper. There are a ton of different videos to choose from, so pick one that will connect with your group. The point is to pick a depiction that will help stu- dents connect with the reality that this was an actual event, not just a story we tell on days we take commu- nion/celebrate the Lord’s Supper Week 36: Lesson Plan ©2015 youthministry360 Part 3: The Gospel Come To Life Lesson 36: The Last Supper FIRST, say something like: • Today we are going to talk about the Last Supper. We often talk about it when we take communion/ celebrate the Lord’s Supper. And you may have heard the story many times. But today we are going to take a serious look at what this time meant. THEN, ask students what they remember about the events leading up to the Last Supper, or any other details they recall. Then, play the video you chose. Once you have watched the video ask something like: • What stands out to you from the video? • Why was that significant to you? • What do you think it would have been like to be one of the disciples at the table with Jesus during the last supper? FINALLY, say something like: • There are many movie representations of the Last Supper. Actors try really hard to convey the serious- ness of the evening and all the details that happened. We should remember, however these are merely representations of what the Bible tells us. What we do know is that Jesus knew what was going to hap- pen next. As we continue our big-picture look at the story of the Bible, it’s important to remember that Jesus knew that not just the disciples at the table would need to understand what He was about to do. This meal and the words spoken weren’t merely for the 12 who were with Him that evening. They were for all of us who would follow Him afterwards forever. Let’s take a look at that now. Transition to The Story. The Story • Goal: To see that Jesus added new meaning to the Passover feast, using the wine and bread to symbolize the great price He would soon pay on the cross. • Setup: Students will need a Bible or a Bible app. You may find a dry-erase board is helpful to jot down some notes, but it’s not essential. FIRST start by setting up the scene for the students. These are literally some of the last moments that Jesus is going to be with His friends. When Jesus was gone from this earth, they would look back to this time and remember. If you’d like, use the “Connecting The Dots” section below to do a little review and/or fill in the gaps from your last lesson and this one. Connecting The Dots As you teach The Thread, there will naturally be some gaps in the story. This is an optional way for you to fill in some of the gaps between the last lesson you taught and this one. Use it as a way to review and/or to connect the dots to the events surrounding the passage. • You may want to remind students in an overview of the first Passover in Exodus 12. Make spe- Week 36: Lesson Plan ©2015 youthministry360 Part 3: The Gospel Come To Life Lesson 36: The Last Supper cial note of the type of lamb that was to be chosen for this meal. • Remind students of the significance of this meal. This meal was the final salvation of the Is- raelites from slavery. It was vital they did everything exactly the way God told Moses so that death would literally pass them over. They knew it was the literal blood of the lamb that saved them. • Talk to students for a few moments about how the Jewish people understood entirely the sig- nificance of this meal. As it was celebrated in the years to come, they would actually use it to signify their freedom from slavery and their wait for a Messiah. THEN, have students turn to Luke 22:7-23. While they’re finding it, provide some of the basic background for the book using the Bible Background. Then, read or have a student read this passage. Say something like: • We are going to look at this passage in depth. First, we are going to start by looking at this pas- sage through the lens of the meal itself. Notice verse seven says it is the feast of unleavened bread when the “Passover lamb is sacrificed.” Why do you think it starts by pointing this out? o Answer: Remember again the significance of this meal.